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Trump's Dept. of Energy Witchhunt

Trump team memo on climate change alarms Energy Department staff
13 Hours AgoReuters
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President-elect Donald Trump's Energy Department transition team sent the agency a memo this week asking for the names of people who have worked on climate change and the professional society memberships of lab workers, alarming employees and advisors.

The memo sent to the Energy Department on Tuesday and seen by Reuters on Friday, contains 74 questions including a request for a list of all department employees and contractors who attended the annual global climate talks hosted by the United Nations within the last five years.

It asked for a list of all department employees or contractors who have attended any meetings on the social cost of carbon, a measurement that federal agencies use to weigh the costs and benefits of new energy and environment regulations. It also asked for all publications written by employees at the department's 17 national laboratories for the past three years.

"This feels like the first draft of an eventual political enemies list," said a Department of Energy employee, who asked not to be identified because he feared a reprisal by the Trump transition team.

Well, there certainly is a need to shed the Green Zealots who feel like lying about data, or making up numbers is a good way to make money or get promotions. No need for that. There is a problem that needs to addressed, but liars need to excluded from the process as it hurts more than it helps.

I just read in a professional publication that a scientist said 17% of America's energy use is for heating water.
Another "scientist" with a paper mill PhD published numbers that indicate 1/2 of Californians will be dead by 2016 from diesel fuel. When it was discovered he falsified his PhD to get a raise and a promotion, and it was found he made up the numbers, NOBODY in CARB took any action. Well... no action until the press found out. Then they slapped his hand. The false study is still in use because it allows for a bigger budget for CARB.

These are not even close to isolated incidents, they are prevalent in the green community at the money level. Toyota even bought a major university study to prove a Prius has less carbon footprint than any EV. It was false, but was signed by PhD's.

Really? These aren't scientists. They are religious fanatics who are saying the earth is flat which collecting indulgences from investment bankers.

But that was not the worst part. The worst part is nobody on staff was bright enough to realize it was an obvious lie.

We are surrounded by con artists. Is it for money? It it well intentioned hyperbole to cause more public awareness? Or is it deliberately trying to sabotage the green movement? Who knows?

Really? These aren't scientists. They are religious fanatics who are saying the earth is flat which collecting indulgences from investment bankers.

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The only "fanatics" we have to worry about are those who deny the fact that human activities are causing an unprecedentedly rapid warming of the planet with potentially catastrophic consequences.

The incoming administration is clearly set on defunding and firing any federal worker who believes that anthropogenic global warming is a serious threat to the future of humanity. Since over 99% of all real climate scientists hold that opinion, those who work in NOAA and NASA may well lose their jobs in the near future and we will lose the valuable work they are doing.

The only "fanatics" we have to worry about are those who deny the fact that human activities are causing an unprecedentedly rapid warming of the planet with potentially catastrophic consequences.

The incoming administration is clearly set on defunding and firing any federal worker who believes that anthropogenic global warming is a serious threat to the future of humanity. Since over 99% of all real climate scientists hold that opinion, those who work in NOAA and NASA may well lose their jobs in the near future and we will lose the valuable work they are doing.

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So you're saying it's acceptable for a percentage of the government or university environmental decision makers to be charlatans pulling down $200k/yr as long as their lies agree with the movement and they make money in the process?

At least a whore doesn't charge everybody in the US, they only charge the person they fk.

I simply don't agree with those lower than prostitutes. In fact, I think these bozos including the hypocrite Gore, did more damage to the environmental movement than they helped.

So you're saying it's acceptable for a percentage of the government or university environmental decision makers to be charlatans pulling down $200k/yr as long as their lies agree with the movement and they make money in the process?

At least a whore doesn't charge everybody in the US, they only charge the person they fk.

I simply don't agree with those lower than prostitutes. In fact, I think these bozos including the hypocrite Gore, did more damage to the environmental movement than they helped.

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Are you suggesting that simply by nature of working at the DOE on climate issues they are somehow charletons? That is pretty much the definition of a witchhunt - everyone is presumed guilty until they can prove their innocence.

(1) I just read in a professional publication that a scientist said 17% of America's energy use is for heating water.

(2) Another "scientist" with a paper mill PhD published numbers that indicate 1/2 of Californians will be dead by 2016 from diesel fuel.

(3) (a) When it was discovered he falsified his PhD to get a raise and a promotion, and it was found he made up the numbers, NOBODY in CARB took any action. (b) Well... no action until the press found out. (c) Then they slapped his hand. (d) The false study is still in use because it allows for a bigger budget for CARB.

(4) Toyota even bought a major university study to prove a Prius has less carbon footprint than any EV. It was false, but was signed by PhD's.

Heh. I like option A. "Here you go Mr Trump, the list of all employees because we all think that anthropogenic climate change is the number one issue facing humanity right now so we are all working on it. Now we are going back to work!"

Unfortunately, it looks like you're right if the ExxonMobil CEO is to become Secretary of State. As someone said in another thread, expect the worst. Everything going to hell, but no nuclear war is probably a win at this point.

Unfortunately, it looks like you're right if the ExxonMobil CEO is to become Secretary of State. As someone said in another thread, expect the worst. Everything going to hell, but no nuclear war is probably a win at this point.

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On that note I am concerned about Trump's response to North Korea's next provocation, which is pretty much guaranteed to happen on the fist day he is in office. But I digress...

Unfortunately, it looks like you're right if the ExxonMobil CEO is to become Secretary of State. As someone said in another thread, expect the worst. Everything going to hell, but no nuclear war is probably a win at this point.

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You mean Rex Tillerson? The guy who supports a carbon tax and believes in climate change? You people and your hyperbole make me sick.

First understand that MOST people are hard working and honest. Dishonesty makes the news because it's an exceptional event. However, dishonesty should not get you more money or accolades, especially in the academic or scientific community. It should be punished.

Anyone following green technology should have heard of examples of corruption. Let's spend the limited resources on effective programs, not for people's winter houses in Palm Beach.

1) Scientific American, 8/2010 - ..."In fact, heating hot water alone accounts for 17 percent of U.S. energy use, according to the DoE..."
Rubbish used in an attempt to kick start the solar water heating industry with the help of the gov't.

3) Toyota has funded many university studies and given donations to these institutions in exchange the right results. Last one was based on 20 cars in Rome IIRC indicating Priuses actually get 94 mpg. Another "proved" that due to coal power plants the Prius was greener than EV's in the US as a whole. Creative statistics.

You can find these same attitude in some posts on this site. If you 'believe', that is to 'say words', of the correct policy, or one endorses the "correct" politicians, your actions cannot be questioned. You are immune. You can drive a Panzer tank running on baby seal oil to your private 747 and go to Italy and back to check on the status of your 11mpg Lamborghini without question, as long as you vote for somebody who said "the environment is an important issue". What you do is not important, how honest you are is not important, but what you 'believe' is the important factor.

Cliff Notes: It is OK to lie or steal as long as you are wearing the correct lapel pin.

Quite a reaction there, McRat. Yours is so rambling a post that it's not possible to refute it completely; here, however, are two specific points.

1. That Scientific American article you cite dealt with a minor whodunit - specifically, with what happened to the hot water panels that had graced the Carter White House. For those interested, the article's title was "Where Did the Carter White House's Solar Panels Go?" It neither was nor had any pretense to be a rigorous piece. That said, the "17 percent" mentioned is not at all "rubbish". The correct datum is that of US householdenergy usage, 17.7 percent is devoted to heating water*. Definitely a misstep by the article's author but there is nothing there to crucify anyone, most particularly because the whole article was couched around household consumption. *Citation here, by the way: Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) - Data - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

2. Hien Tran? A minor statistician faked his diploma (rather, purchased one) to get a job. The work he performed was satisfactory. So where's your scandal?

Your concluding paragraph is as nonsensical as it is inflammatory. Zero points for your ability to supply reasoned discourse.

Did Trumps transition team ask for the names of people in the DOE that were dishonest or the names of people that worked on climate change... are the two synonymous to your mind?

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He wanted to know who was drawing the largest DOE salaries among other things. Fact finding or witch-hunt?

The DOE has ask for a 10% increase is funding for 2017. That exceeds inflation by quite a bit.

Here's the About Us DOE page intro:

As a new employee of the Department of Energy (DOE), you are entering a Cabinet-Level Executive Branch Agency with a long history of achievement. The DOE has won more R&D awards than any private sector organization, and twice as many as all other Federal agencies combined. ...

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What few people realize is that this mega-bureaucracy was supposed to deal with nuclear programs. Now it does everything from gene therapy research to micro-electronics, and is growing in size and scope each year.